The Chainlink

All winter long I rode my bike to work and parked my bike outside my cubicle.  Nobody complained.  7 days ago the sales department relocated to my area of the building where I work. 4 days later the Safety Dept. Guy shows up and sheepishly tells me that there has been a complaint that my bike takes up to much space outside my cube.  I disagree, but have to find alternate parking for my ride.

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Yet more proof sales people are evil and hate fun.

You should ask everyone on your floor if they are the ones who complained and using their reactions to your question poop in the drawers of all who may be guilty.
what?! There is tons of space in that passageway for anyone to get through!

But... in the spirit of office friendliness, maybe your colleague is worried about getting dirty if he or she brushes against the bike. One of those covers that motorcyclists use might help the situation. I don't know how these things work, but is there a way to arrange a mediation btw you and the complainer through the HR department or something?

Or, can your bike be inside your cubicle? It's not clear from the photo how large each space is.
You could get a Bike Friday and fold it up and stick it in your cubicle.

Years ago I worked at a place in the West Loop and I was one of about one riding their bike to work. People saw it and realized they could do it. More and more of my co-workers began to rid and it took a couple of years but pretty soon the building folks put a hanging rack in the parking garage for bikes.

The rack was quickly outgrown the more people learned they could commute by bike. Perhaps folks you work with are more timid than you about bringing their bikes into the work place and if a better parking solution was found, more people would ride.

I do like the idea of calling out the fun-haters.
i am SO glad i don't work in a cubefarm! Some people have nothing better to do than stew at their desks and make stuff up to kvetch about. What kind of a life is that? Crabs in a barrel, dogs in a manger.
In research I did for the State of Illinois on bicycle commuting, I found out that employers and building managers make more of an effort to accommodate bicycle commuters if they are asked to do so. So it's incumbent upon all of us who commute to work by bike--or want to--to ask for a secure place to store our bikes during the work day. Please tell your employer that biking to work is important to you and ask that they make safe space available for you to store your bike. You also should ask them to tell your building's management company that secure bike parking is needed.

Good luck!
I cannot bring my bike into work, so I am forced to leave it outside...all winter long too. Thankfully I have pin head locks. My bike doesn't seem to suffer too bad. I do wish I had a place indoors though.
It's a shame the safety dept. guy didn't tell him to piss off. I can't believe they complained; obviously there's enough room to get by. I guess there's a sales guy with no sense of depth perception. He must bump into cubicle walls all the time, as well as regular walls, doorways, other people, other stationary objects, etc.

I hope you can appeal this decision, so to speak. Or just tell them to give you your own office! :)

Best of luck.
Ask them to take the lead in Chicago. Learn from NYC

On August 13, 2009, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg signed two laws to increase bicycle access and encourage cycling in New York City.
Bikes in Buildings
The Bikes in Buildings Law (local law 52 of 2009) encourages bicycle commuting by providing cyclists with secure parking during the workday. The law requires commercial office buildings to provide access to employees who request to bring their bikes into the building. The law becomes effective on December 11, 2009.

Bicycle Parking in Public Parking Garages
Local law 51 of 2009 requires public parking garages to provide at least one bicycle parking space for every ten car parking spaces. The new law became effective November 11, 2009 and is overseen by the Department of Consumer Affairs. Parking garage operators may apply for a waiver to the new requirement if compliance violates existing zoning regulations for their garage.
I'm lucky at my FT job I can store it inside in one of 2 warehouses. At my PT it has to stay outside no matter the season. It all depends on your boss.
On the occasions I've needed to bring my bike into work it's always caused a stoopid stir.
I'm not typically one to attribute people's motivations to "jealousy," but in this case I really think it's people who think it's somehow unfair that your commute and parking situation is not an expensive PITA like theirs is.
Hey not all sales people are evil and hate fun. They are pretty happy people and easy going in general other wise they wouldn't be sales people for long. I'm a bit spoiled though I sell bicycles all day and put my bike any were I please. On top of that I get to ride indoors too. I like Rik's post too, If our mayor is so bike friendly why doesn't he pass a law like NYC.

notoriousDUG said:
Yet more proof sales people are evil and hate fun.

You should ask everyone on your floor if they are the ones who complained and using their reactions to your question poop in the drawers of all who may be guilty.
look at how much space that thing takes up!!! HAVE SOME DECENCY!!!

no, that's just sad that people really bother to complain about that. It doesn't look too crowded in there...

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